The species is distinctive for the profusion of miniature plantlets that form on the margins of its leaves, a trait it has in common with some other members of Bryophyllum (now included in Kalanchoe).

[1] It is a succulent, perennial plant, about 1 m (39 in) tall, with fleshy cylindrical stems and young growth of a reddish tinge, which can be found in flower throughout most of the year.

[5] The leaves of this species are thick, fleshy, elliptical in shape, curved, with a crenate or serrated margin, often reddish.

Simple at the base of the stem, the leaves are imparipinnate at the top, 10–30 cm (4–12 in) long, with three to five pairs of fleshy limb lobes.

It is found in parts of Asia, Africa, Australia, New Zealand, the West Indies, Bermuda, Macaronesia, the Mascarenes, Brazil, Suriname, the Galapagos Islands, Melanesia, Polynesia, and Hawaii.

Subsequently, the Paris naturalist Christiaan Hendrik Persoon reclassified it in the Kalanchoe (calling it Calanchoe pinnata 1805-1807, with an orthographic variant).

He also discussed his air plant at length in an essay in 1817, titled in German: Geschichte meiner botanischen Studien ("History of my botanical studies").

For the people of the Amazon, Kalanchoe has multiple uses: the Creoles use it roasted against inflammations and cancer and as an infusion, and as a popular remedy for fevers.

The Palikur people of Brazil and French Guiana apply a preparation of the juice of Kalanchoe leaves mixed with coconut oil to their foreheads to treat headache.

Two calves fed for 48 hours with K. pinnata have been reported to have died due to ataxia and severe cardiac arrhythmia.